duplicitymods: (Default)
Duplicity Game Mods ([personal profile] duplicitymods) wrote in [community profile] duplicitymemes2020-03-12 10:20 pm
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TDM #11


« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »


« « « DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL


It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy.

This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses.

To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity.

After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation.

If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

The weather is a mild 62 degrees.



» » » IT DOES NOT COUNT




It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park.

The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.



« « « ONLY SLIPPED AWAY




Orientation this month is a little…different.

The usual orientation center suffered extensive damage in last month’s massive ice storm, and repairs are underway. Unfortunately, they won’t be ready in time to accommodate the newest batch of arrivals, so instead the city has relocated their operations and sent a skeleton crew to help staff it. This month’s orientation takes place in a vintage event space in an old neighborhood in the Up, the Dashing Gardens Event Center and Conference Hall.

The decor was fresh and new when the building was originally constructed, some 100 years ago, but now the whole place gives off an old, run-down vibe that some might kindly call, “vintage.” Workshops take place in too-small rooms that might generously accommodate 10 people, if they squeeze tight. Choosing to embrace their surroundings, the orientation staff are handing out 1920s-Era party favors such as cheap sequined fans, garters, and hats. These items have no unusual effects and look quite chintzy, but will add a bit of sparkle to the event.

Not only are the facilities dated, but the planning leaves something to be desired. There is a general sense of chaos and disorganization. None of the staff seem to know what’s going on or where to find things, and attendees will be frequently misdirected into the wrong room or session. Some sessions are cancelled without warning, or turn out completely and bizarrely different from how they were described. Additionally, the orientation center was using Cordispondence’s proprietary software for their planning and accidentally sent out strongly-worded, obligatory summons to citizens who shouldn’t be there. It’s very unclear who is actually supposed to be here and who was invited by mistake.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the building is a bit…strange. Hallways seem to warp locations, and doors lead to different places than expected. Attendees will find themselves alone in a room one moment and locked in with a stranger the next with no seeming way out. Citizens of Duplicity might realize it’s time to get creative ( and busy ) if they don’t want to starve.

The staff are less than helpful, and all complaints will be met with a heartfelt apology and a voucher for a free hour in the ball pit, located in the great room. If one can find it.

The orientation center staff managed to grab what they could from a storage closet before the center was closed for repairs, so the workshop rooms have a variety of items placed within them to help the newcomers get accustomed to their new roles. There are selections of bracelets and collars for doms and subs to try on, with native dom/sub pairs giving appropriate behavior demonstrations. Any LIErs willing to join in the display and practice on each other earn a gift certificate for one meal at one of any of the participating restaurants sponsoring the event.

Other tables contain sex toys, lube, and various edible products to help anyone who partakes get in the mood. There is a book table full of inspiring reads and helpful diagrams, with a much too chipper attendee who is eager to help anyone within range find their perfect kink.

If that’s not enough, try the punch. It’s sure to leave you feeling festive, Duplicity-style.



« « « EVERYTHING REMAINS




As the night melts into early morning, attendees will experience a physical crack and shift. For some, they’ll be brought to their knees or find themselves winded. Others will feel a tightness in their chest or the strange sensation of losing their breath. When it’s over, each person will now bear the physical characteristics of two other people: someone they care dearly for and someone that they do not. The combination of features or physical attributes will be unique; possibly the hair style and color of one but the eyes and nose of the other. What’s even more odd is that, now, desires belonging to the other people are transferred. Strong and overwhelming, satisfaction is a must.



« « « SPEAK OF ME




Other games found during orientation:

» Glory holes with tip buckets on the receiving side. Any kind of sex act will do, though the amount of beads someone gets for their time depends on how good they are, of course.

» Public sex. Like a righteous frat party, enjoy the rain of beads that comes with a good performance... or at least an entertaining one. Strip teases are included in this, catch an eye or three and try your hand at sex appeal.

» Contests of endurance. Try and outdo another, whether it's outlasting an orgasm or making the other come first, one-on-one or with pairs and more competing against others. The prize is always moderate, the largest sum given to winners and trickling down to the losers. Some even have honorable mentions if they’re generous.



« « « WAITING FOR YOU




(CW: potential dubcon, objectification)

By far the largest and shiniest booth comes from orientation sponsors Sexy Metal Incorporated, who have set up a display of their incredible high-tech sexbots. These life-sized dolls are made of extremely realistic material that feels like warm human skin, and come with state-of-the-art mechanics that give them lifelike movement. Engineers show off how the bots can be plugged into a computer and programmed to act any way the buyer likes.

They come in a wide variety of customizable appearances and, eerily, some of the bots on display look exactly like people you may know. Booth staff encourage customers to buy these dolls, or to rent them and give them a try onstage in front of the fascinated crowds. If that’s not kinky enough, one of the engineers has purchased a VR headset from another booth, and programmed it to interface with the bot’s controls. Care to slip inside the silicone skin of another person?

These bots may appear throughout the orientation, some of them having escaped the display. Staff are attempting to round them up. If you’re willing to help out and provide a distraction for the bot, you could earn a half hour with the VR or a voucher for the ball pit!



« « « ALL IS WELL




While not as prominent as the booths handing out sex toys, there are plenty of pop-up fortunetelling booths scattered throughout orientation. These impromptu oracles provide a variety of divinations, including but not limited to tarot readings, tea leaves, and even reading roses. Ask about love, life, death, health, wealth, or whether or not to upgrade your insurance policies. Whatever you ask, though, you’ll find something curious - it may not be literal, and it may not be in the manner expected, but all fortunes somehow come true within the day.



« « « WE MEET AGAIN




A couple days after orientation, the citizens of Duplicity are abuzz with the revamp of the virtual sensation: dualcam.com It's available for free and accessible through any device connected to the city's network. Once the page is visited, most will notice very familiar faces. Was that your roommate? Your best friend? Your Dominant or Submissive? What you're seeing are all the participants of the L.I.E.S. program engaged in live shows of varying content—some sexual, some not. But it is all meant to be erotic in some capacity. Lives streams can be interacted with, and the higher the tip, the more provocative the requests might become. Some might even indulge in personal shows.

Whatever the content, the person on the screen is a perfect copy of the participant that's being portrayed but with one exception: their main negative trait of the individual is enhanced the longer the shows continue and their content of choice won't necessarily be a reflection of what they would actually indulge in.

The L.I.E.S. staff will not be helpful in any capacity if contacted about the site. There is, however, a way to shut the feed down. Find the location where the live feed is taking place. This will not be an easy task as the background of each live show is decorated but a clever person could ask the right questions. Stop it. Let it continue. The decision is up to the participant.



« « « MOD & OOC NOTES


Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice.

To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: All left handed characters are Dominants and all right handed characters are Submissives.

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!




» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

bright_moon: (Default)

Re: QUESTIONS

[personal profile] bright_moon 2020-03-13 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
What category do ambidextrous characters fall?
iminthebook: (Why me?)

Harry Dresden - Dresden Files

[personal profile] iminthebook 2020-03-13 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ OOC: Only Women for sexy times. ]

1 « « « DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

The examination was... annoying. It had him healed of his wounds from the Hades trip and the following double-cross, shoved to a new room, and examined, then stuck in a worse than a normal hospital gown, and repeatedly shuffled from test to test. His powers seemed dampened and unhelpful and he was very irritable about that.

He was given little to no information, at first, and told of a time to come back to orientation. Eventually, he was given bits and pieces of information as he was shoved out of the place and given a device to read a network? And then... suddenly he was outside. He was in an area that looked like a slum, making him blink. As he passed a window and saw the mark on his neck, he swore.

"Hell's Bells! What have you gotten into this time, Harry?"

He read his device and the information they gave him and headed for his rooms, not liking this at all. When he stepped into his assigned room, he realized that someone else had preceded him. A roommate. Great. With a sigh, he raised a hand.

"Evening."

***

« « « ONLY SLIPPED AWAY

The Orientation taking place at the very nice but trashy looking Dashing Gardens Event Center and Conference Hall made it no less annoying, and the too-small rooms, and the rather sad party factors, made Harry grimace with distaste and anger. The workshops, themselves, were even more pain and even more silly, in his view.

Seeing how disorganized and chaotic everything is, Harry wondered at the feel of the event, and the smarts of those behind it all. And, behind his eyes, his mind started churning ideas. The confusion gave promise to his idea of hopefully finding ways to sabotage things here.

At least once, as he moved toward a new meeting, he found himself lost and the halls not leading where they were supposed to go. Opening one door at random, it seemed right, and he stepped in, and suddenly the door was closed, and instead, it was a very small room. Swearing, Harry set down the punch he had been carrying and sipping, and sighed as he looked at the other person who was locked in with him. He tried the door, and as he had figured, it was locked.

"Well, this is fun, huh?"

***

Harry was not impressed by the presentations, and the toys. He eyed the other one person in the workshop, curious about what they would be asked to do, or say. The punch that had been passed out had him feeling squirley, shifty, full of warmth. He found himself imagining things he and the other person could be doing.

***

» » » IT DOES NOT COUNT

After orientation, with his head still whirring, he was shoved onto a train for some sort of tour. Given an assigned seat since the first time since elementary school, he grumbled as he settled into a seat, unsure of who would be seated next to him. When someone sat down, he nodded to them, hopeful to pass the time in peaceful silence.

As the train moved, he watched the outside from his chair, eyeing all he could see. The Up, and the luxury of it, and then the Down, coming to a stop at Riddler's Square, where he got out. Heading off, he checked his information, reminding himself of the seminars and of the get together he was supposed to attend the next day.

he sighed and almost ran into someone in the dirty streets.

"Oh! Sorry. A little turned around here."

Later, he will visit the Up again and check out the library and book stores, perusing them for answers and for magic, both.

***

Wildcard
Edited 2020-03-13 04:12 (UTC)
myfight: (eyes hard;)

Alexandra Udinov | Nikita | Submissive | OTA

[personal profile] myfight 2020-03-13 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
i. hallways

[ Like Alice in Wonderland, she finds herself lost amongst what should have been a straight path. Alex doesn't think the walls can actually move like some kind of Harry Potty-esque attraction, but logic doesn't seem to have a strong hold on the direction. ]

Marco? A Pollo would be nice right about now.

[ Just as she rounds the next corner, another figure catches her eye. ]

Hey!

[ Not wanting to lose the only person she's seen in what has to be ten minutes of walking, Alex darts down the hall. ]

Wait up!

ii. locked in a room

Is this supposed to be some kind of funhouse? Because it's anything but fun.

[ Alex is tired of this game. She's been walking halls that seem to somehow circle around and all of a sudden, she's in this room with some person she doesn't know.

The mark and collar label her as Submissive, but like many others with the designation, her eyes don't seem ready to submit. ]


Okay, so, let's just work together to get out of here. If there's a way in, there's a way out. We just have to find it.

iii. dualcam

You can't be serious.

[ It's ridiculous. This city is some kind of nightmare, and Alex is watching it come to life as the copy of herself appears onscreen. Unlike the real Alex, the clone is wearing a sexy schoolgirl outfit and walking toward the camera. Her ships shake from side to side, and her face sports a large smile. ]

Thanks for watching the show. Even if you're watching me, it's all about you. Tell me: how can I make you happy?

[ Looking around, she realizes the screen has attracted a small crowd. Immediately, she starts urging them away. Even if she's not busy protecting her decency, there's no way the deeper meaning would reveal itself. As someone unsure why she's been the one allowed to survive things that have killed so many people, her clone attempts to find worth in her survival. ]

I'm breaking the T.V. in two seconds so get out of here unless you want to be hit with flying glass.

(ooc | OTA for any sexy times should it somehow come up. I'm also open to wildcards. As a submissive, Alex can be found in the Down. If you want to plot, feel free to message me here or at [plurk.com profile] wrinkesintimes.)
affrayed: (das Warten hat ein Ende Nun)

Fray Myste | Final Fantasy XIV | Submissive | OTA

[personal profile] affrayed 2020-03-13 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
Death Is Nothing At All--

Fray had... tolerated the examination, that much could be said. Keen on getting out as quickly as possible and perhaps still a bit understandably dazed from his little journey here, he was uncharacteristically compliant with everything, even remarkably quiet, biting his tongue for the duration of the ordeal until he got his things back. Not like he could do much with no soul stone and no goddamn armor or weapons. The sooner this garbage was over, the better, at least he could be assured that he'd be turned loose at some point.

And turned loose he was, just barely managing to piece together how the public transit worked here (that sure as hell wasn't an airship or a carriage), and finding himself presented with the motel. … This? This was perhaps the most relaxing thing he's seen all day.

How nice, a cheap, dirty, weird looking inn, practically home. Whoever has gotten into their shared room first might just be in for a hell of a jump scare, as the knight, with no warning whatsoever, practically slammed that door open, the irritation he did well to swallow starting to bubble up to the surface now that he had the full freedom to express it.

Oh. There was someone in here. Well then.

“... You should probably consider using a deadbolt.”

It Does Not Count--

He seems quite comfortable there, on the train, seated and relaxed as if this was the most normal thing in the world. … It's not. Never been on a train before in his life, thanks. Though he doesn't look particularly curious, enthused nor unenthused about it, the neutrality might seem a bit odd considering how he's dressed from head to toe in leather and armor. The only thing that might make this even more surreal would be the presence of a newspaper, a shame he didn't see fit to snag one on the way in.

Whoever sits beside him wouldn't get too much attention at first, just a glance from disquietingly pale eyes within the helm.

… It won't last terribly long though, it might almost appear as if he's bored of the tour already.

“Do you intend on sitting through all of this?”

Only Slipped Away--

Try on a bracelet? Play with the products? Ball pit? He has like five ball pit vouchers at this point, he's getting a bit sick of whatever the fuck a ball pit is, and if he ever finds it he'll be heavily considering finding a way to break it. It's by that fifth voucher that he'd find himself being left rather comfortably alone, considering the the bevvy of oaths and curses he'd flung at the staff member.

Really it's a miracle he hasn't been kicked out. … A really shitty miracle, it was almost kind of what he was hoping for here, this place is bullshit. Fray hadn't the foggiest idea what he was looking at most of the time, and really one couldn't blame him: the heavily armored man definitely didn't blend in well with the décor, nor did he seem to be making any notable attempt to. He hadn't even taken off that helmet, so good fucking luck figuring out if he's submissive or not.

Definitely not fucking acting like it, taking into account the altercation with the staff member.

He'd tried to slip away not long after that, though the word 'slip' might be a bit of a misnomer. Stormed off, that fit better, turning into a twisting hall and attempting to recount how he'd gotten into this godsdamned place. One turn lead to another, his already heavily tested patience slipping even further, until he figured the next door looked just about likely enough, and slammed it open.

Only to have it slam closed behind him the second he set foot in there.

Sorry, anyone who happened to be in this room, about your terrible company, rounding on the door to drive a metal clad fist into the surprisingly unyielding wood.

Damnit!

Benoit Blanc | Knives Out | Submissive

[personal profile] gentlemansleuth 2020-03-13 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
» » » IT DOES NOT COUNT

As if the threadbare hospital gowns aren’t bad enough, and he considers himself a gentleman of proportion but the strings aren’t the best and he’s got it fairly well cinched about his waist, now there’s travel by public transportation.

“Isn’t this just reminiscent of times I would rather forget,” he mutters under his breath, shuffling along to his seat. Settling down on the aisle, Benoit watches those still coming on the bus with a casual look, even if he’s noticing the aggression in the face of one, the fear of another. Taking in the behavior of those that bear the same mark as he does along his throat. Whether in gown or clothes, none share the same mood.

After a bit, he finds himself leaning in closer to the person seated next to him, a keen eye on the environment outside, memorizing the buildings and the streets for his explorations later. Leaning in so much he’s quite a bit in their personal space and not realizing that.

« « « ONLY SLIPPED AWAY

Glad to be back in his clothes, even if he would have been thankful for his suit jacket that he hadn’t been wearing in the last moments before he found himself in this place. Shirt sleeves and suspenders is better than the gown, and so Benoit does his best to avoid the most graphic of displays, if only for the sensibilities of others, surely.

Of course that means becoming a bit too curious about the life of a Citizen who looks perplexed and rather cranky to be there, and so he’s certain they sent him entirely the wrong way while seeking out some answers about a class that says it’s about CBT and he does think it is speaking of cognitive behavioral therapy. Thankfully, for his own sake, he finds himself right back where he started, except he never remembers turning a corner.

“Pardon, Miss? Miss?” He catches up with one of the staff. “Can you tell me where the behavioral therapy class might… be.” He stares at the paper she shoves into his hand, frowning as he reads it. “A ball pit? Why do I suspect this place means lamb fries and not colorful plastic bits?”

« « « ALL IS WELL

“Tea leaves, huh?” Because the fortune telling booths are better to focus on than some of the other things Benoit has seen today. Things he most certainly will not soon forget. So why not indulge in a bit of soothsaying?

So he drinks the brew, trying not to think about how dangerous drinking a random drink in this place might be and then hands the cup to the fortune teller. She turns the cup this way and then, then mentions a singular black dot, a taken, and then something else. Benoit’s face twists up at that.

“A biscuit? Like a cookie? What in heaven’s name does that have to do with my future? I’m fairly certain there is not a cookie in the world to soothe this day. Not even those little mint cookies the Girl Scouts sell.”
stellareducation: (neutral | headscratch)

David 7 | Stellar Firma | Submissive | OTA

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
((cw: David is two-weeks-old, but he's a clone who came out of the test tube fully formed and has the cognitive capacity of a 20-something. He is also from a dark comedy where clone slavery, abuse, violence, and amoral behavior is a major part of his canon and character. Just as a heads up.))

» » » IT DOES NOT COUNT
[David has been glued to the windows since arriving in Duplicity. Buildings, trains, buses. Everything is new. Everything is on a planet. It's outside. There's light out here. Light that he can control. He can move into the shade. Or out of the shade.

He can walk through a door, no biometric passcodes required!

It has to be a dream. A dream of a good planet, one Trexel didn't design. Maybe one of the other design teams. Yes. Yes, that's nice. He's going to soak it all in. Every last bit of it. The loss of his onesie had been... temporarily tragic, but at least he hadn't been forced to wear socks, just a paper gown. Now, he has the gray jumpsuit on again, and he feels just a little bit better about everything.

Someone sits beside him and he startles, eyes wide.]
Oh, hello!

[Wait, is he supposed to speak? If it's a nice dream, probably... Just on the off chance, though.]

I'll stop breathing.

[He looks away and holds his breath.]


« « « ONLY SLIPPED AWAY
Uh... d'you know how to use this? It looks... clampy. One of those... sex things, right? Should I put it on? Or... put it on you?

[David's looking at the person he's been trapped with and holding up a set of nipple clamps, working them opened and closed. It's one of many of the sex toys on the table. There's not much else here apart from a very comfortable-looking chair. He wants to sit down, but that's probably asking for trouble.]


« « « SPEAK OF ME
[Board preserve him. David's pushed into a room and told to wait there, kneeling on a little cushion next to a wall with a hole cut out of it. Is it... meant for speaking? Will a brief becoming through the hole, like they had through the tubes? Possibly?

He sticks his eye up close to hole.]


H-hello? Um... Hello. Is anyone there?

[Please don't have left him trapped alone in a dark room for days again. Please don't.]
Edited 2020-03-13 04:47 (UTC)
noblankpages: (imperious)

It does not count

[personal profile] noblankpages 2020-03-13 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ Zexion gives the man a skeptical and slightly affronted look. It's not as if he likes riding public transit any more than the next person, but that's arguably the strangest reaction he's gotten out of anybody here so far. Given the city they're in, that's a high bar. ]

Have I done something to offend? [ He asks, sounding a little more offended than he means to. By his tone it's supposed to be a gesture of submission, so he shouldn't be so irritated over it, but really, what? ]
stellareducation: (scared | sad)

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[David's eyes go even wider. Is he allowed to answer? is it a trick? But this man isn't his line manager or Trexel. Maybe it's okay? Unless he's- well, if he's anyone who's not a clone, really. His face starts to go read as he holds his breath longer and longer, just staring. When he can't manage it any longer, he gasps heavily, hurrying to find words.]

No, I'm sorry. Sorry. No. It's just most people don't like it when I breathe around them. Well, Hartro didn't like it. Do you mind if I breathe?
Edited 2020-03-13 05:05 (UTC)
oinkoink: (036)

only slipped away

[personal profile] oinkoink 2020-03-13 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Sally doesn't mean to have an intense reaction. It's a harmless enough question, and she's not so demure as to be embarrassed by what he's holding. Only...she's a little, well, wound up, right now. The sight of the things make her feel abruptly like vomiting, and before she really realizes what she's doing she's slapping the thing out of his hands.]

It's probably diseased is what it is!

[She steps back quickly, afterward, throwing her hands up.]

Oh, I'm--I'm sorry. That was mean. I only meant...never mind. Just don't worry about the...the clamps.
noblankpages: (skeptical)

[personal profile] noblankpages 2020-03-13 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ What? ]

Seeing as you presumably have to in order to stay conscious, I'd really prefer you did. [ It might be nice of him to reassure this man that that's the case for most people in this city, but honestly he's more curious about what sort of situation this man comes from where breathing requires permission than he is in being comforting. ]

Who is Harto?
erzahler: (Default)

Varric Tethras | Dragon Age | Submissive

[personal profile] erzahler 2020-03-13 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
Well, shit.

Death Is Nothing At All
Nope. Nope. Nope nope nope. Varric has lived in the suite of a bar for years, in the main hall of a dilapidated ancient castle, and, under duress and protest, in tents. In nature. And it was better than this. Marginally. Sometimes. Look, everyone likes to think they have a choice. He didn't choose this.

At least none of that shit he's survived before had left him with a permanent black line marring his beautiful chest. Until now. That might be what's pissing him off even more than the kidnapping and... displacement. We'll go with “displacement.” Because the other more literal options are terrifying.

This is what he gets for thinking he's seen it all.

He'll sleep when he has to. For now, though? For now he's wandering the Down til whatever shindig they've all been forcefully invited to gets started.

It Does Not Count
He hates this a lot. He's not opening his eyes unless you pay him.

Only Slipped Away
It's like Bargain Orlais in here but fewer masks. Well, fewer visible masks. Varric is as sure as ever that nothing about this place can be taken at face value. It smells just as much like bullshit here as Orlais, too.

He's shuffled along with a bunch of other tattooed and non-tattooed mostly-humans (he'd feel bad for the people trying to keep the herds of cats organized if he didn't hate them on sight) into a session about... he's not sure, actually. And neither are the people up there waving bendy dicks around and making up words, for all he can tell. And that's his job. The words, that is. Not the dicks. Though he's familiar enough with those, too.

Condoms, though. Those sound handy.

Three of these sessions later and Varric is sneaking out the back, taking advantage of a moment of distraction he absolutely did not cause by knocking over a few punch bowls.

Of course, all that gets him is locked in the first room he ducks into. Shoulda just kept running.

Waiting For You
Varric doesn't intend to linger here, but the magic involved is... it's fascinating. He's already starting to write the premise in his head when someone gets up to actually demonstrate with the “robots” and Varric couldn't look away if he tried. And he does try. Boy, does he.

But he's never seen anything like this. Golems can't compare to this. And he's not sure he wants to think about golems in this position, actually...

All Is Well
“Sure, lady. Read my tea leaves.” He'd researched the practice himself (work research) and found it... lacking. And he's not about to put any stock in it, but he can't help his curiosity. And it seems to be one of the more innocent adventures available in this place. Fuck, when did he start hoping for that?

The reading is exactly the sort of drivel he'd expected.

“Somebody else want a bullshit happy ending fortune? You can have mine.”

We Meet Again
“...well I owe Dorian ten sovereigns now.”

Choose Your Own Adventure
[Please feel free to catch Varric anywhere in the above locales, and if you have any questions, or would like something more specific, etc, hit me up at [plurk.com profile] Isonen or PM or Discord (Isonen#1092). ♥

I will match brackets or prose!]


Edited (words) 2020-03-13 05:14 (UTC)
stellareducation: (neutral | earnest)

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[The violence is familiar, at least, and he barely reacts to it except to pull his head back to try to avoid his face being smacked. When she stops there, David can't help staring dumbly for a moment.]

O... kay.

[Is it diseased? It had looked fairly sterile, but then he's never seen anything like that before.]

Of course not. W-what clamps? I wasn't holding clamps.

[If it works on Trexel...]
stellareducation: (neutral | earnest)

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, thank the Board. [The words are muttered under his breath before he speaks up again.]

H-Hartro Plitz, um... our line manager. M-mine and Trexel's. Trexel Geistman? Planet designer?

[He lifts his brows, expecting some form of recognition. At least for the Geistman name, maybe.]
bright_moon: (mdzs_e10_14945)

Xiao Xingchen | The Untamed | Dominant

[personal profile] bright_moon 2020-03-13 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Death is nothing at all:

For a blind man, picking a door and walking through only to be stripped is...an experience he'd rather never repeat. Xiao Xingchen has always been a modest individual, which makes being sent out in almost nothing that much less comfortable. The examination was both familiar and more invasive than he's ever encountered before, but he learned the reason behind it. Healing, in a way he's not familiar with.

He does a quick check to his face, delicate fingers touching the cloth covering where his eyes used to be, then forces himself to step forward. One foot before the other until he's called over to get into something called a limo. And that is another experience to add to the day's chaos. Guided to his new home, he manages a quick little smile before closing the door to acclimate to the rooms on his own. He's relieved when he manages to find his clothes, folded and cleaned, waiting for him.

Only when he's dressed does he feel settled enough to leave again. He has to figure out how to survive here. And that means trying not to hide.

By all appearances, the blind young man in white Chinese robes wouldn't seem to be blind at all, for how steady his gait is, how he manages to avoid most obstacles. How polite his quiet voice is when there's a near miss of a collision.


It does not count:

Xingchen...hadn't meant to get on this thing called a train. He'd gotten swept up in a crowd he couldn't extract himself from in time though, and now finds himself in a seat, fingers tight on the seat before he forces himself to calm. A shy, uncertain smile is turned towards the person he hears take a seat beside him.

"Forgive me, but I do not quite know where we are heading..." Much less how or when to get off! Please help!


Orientation:

Xingchen is only here because he'd been deposited here. What he's to do, what to watch out for, none of it makes sense. All so noisy, it's difficult for him to make sense of it. So he tries to stick to the edges, one hand brushing along the wall in an attempt to keep himself grounded. Head tilted just a little down and a small crease between his brows just barely visible above the cloth over his eyes. Too fast, too loud, too many people, and-

Is it just him, or are the rooms around him changing? Eventually he shakes his head and turns, he hopes, to a nearby friendly person with a somewhat strained smile.

"Please, would you- do you know how long we are to remain here? I cannot seem to find the door out..."


Wildcard: [ ooc: Have another idea/desire? Have at! Feel free to PM me if you want to plot something out first. ]
oinkoink: (019)

[personal profile] oinkoink 2020-03-13 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Sally takes a deep breath, covering her face briefly before she just ends up pacing.]

It doesn't matter. Forget it. Let's just focus on getting out of here.
noblankpages: (aside glance)

[personal profile] noblankpages 2020-03-13 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, there it goes. The listing of names that everyone should know, if this were the right world. That confirms that this man is simply a new arrival and not some more-abused-than-usual submissive, at least. ]

You're a very long way away from anywhere those names have meaning, I regret to inform you. Or perhaps it's not so regrettable, under the circumstances.
stellareducation: (smile | little)

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Out?

[He looks around the room.]

Is it really so bad here? We've got- ah, a light switch, I think?

[David goes over and reaches out with reverence to touch said light switch. The room goes dark. There's no Access Denied. No shock! He turns it back on and gasps when it just... does.]

A light switch we can use. And look at that chair. It's a comfortable-looking chair. And you're a person. Get a few feeding tubes in, you could really make something of this.
stellareducation: (sad | so much)

[personal profile] stellareducation 2020-03-13 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
Hahaha... oh, well, maybe those two, but not-not I.M.O.G.E.N. or the Board.

[His eyes dart around nervously.]

All hail the Board! I love where I'm from. Of course. Everyone loves our station. Why would I want to be anywhere... anywhere else?
hurtcomfort: (listening to things)

only slipped away

[personal profile] hurtcomfort 2020-03-13 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
There's the sound of rattling at the doorframe. There's a long pause before the rattling starts again. It sounds like someone attempting to pick a lock and would honestly be quite spooky and action movie intense except for the fact that when the door opens, there's Cole, squatting down in front of the now unlocked door, giving Varric a small smile as he stands in the doorway, lockpick tools in his hands.

How did he get the lockpick tools? That's a good question.

"You can come out now. I think they've left."
hurtcomfort: (how many sad icons can I have)

Cole | Dragon Age | submissive

[personal profile] hurtcomfort 2020-03-13 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
only slipped away
In the midst of all this chaos and disorganization, there stands a weird kid in a silly hat. Cole stands awkward, thin, smelling a little bit like death and swampwater, and seemingly unnoticed by the various workers. People walk past him like he's not even there, as he awkwardly stands in the middle of the room, taking everything in, and looking a little like he's trying to hold back a panic attack.

Eventually, Cole decides on something. His expressions sharpen as he walks up to someone. They're trying to find a room. It doesn't matter that they haven't actually said that they're trying to find a room, Cole just knows. It's something he can help with, so he shall.

"This way," the creepy kid says, as he starts purposefully walking down the hallway.

The problem, of course, is that though he can pick out the location of some rooms from people's minds, it all depends on people's minds. There's a high possibility that Cole is about to lead you in the wrong direction.

waiting for you
Cole does not like this. They're dolls, standing tall, things that look like people but decidedly aren't. Like him, Cole thinks in the back of his mind. But no, not like him. He looks like the real Cole and he thinks like himself. These things don't think. Not like real people, at least.

Needless to say, they give him the heebie-jeebies. Cole can't help but linger behind a little bit, watching the sexbots from underneath the brim of his comically large hat. Should anyone approach him, they can hear him murmur,

"A borrowed brain, folding into flesh. But it can't work like that. It can't."

all is well
Were you doing a rose reading? Surprise, there's Cole, appearing RIGHT THE FUCK OUT OF NOWHERE behind you. He definitely wasn't there a second ago. It's like he literally popped up out of thin air as he looks over your shoulder and asks,

"How can you read it if it doesn't have words?"

wildcard
( You can run into Cole pretty much anywhere, either lurking in the background or trying not to start up conversation. As a note, Cole has some creepyass powers that are infomodding city. Please take a look at what he can do before you tag! If you want to opt out of his powers entirely, just mention it in the post somewhere. Also, for the canon familiar, he'll be taking a spirit route. )
noblankpages: (thinking)

[personal profile] noblankpages 2020-03-13 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Zexion just watches him for a long moment before responding, fascinated by his reaction and maybe a little bit concerned. They're being watched by the normal amount of people, to his knowledge, but could it be that he knows something Zexion doesn't? It's probably just holdover paranoia from wherever he came from, but Zexion starts paying just that much more attention to their surroundings anyway.

He shakes his head.
]

I've never heard of I.M.O.G.E.N., and "the Board" doesn't conjure up any one specific entity to me, either. Do you know where you are? Has anyone explained things to you, yet?
erzahler: (007)

shRIEKS

[personal profile] erzahler 2020-03-13 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Varric's never met a lock he couldn't pick, he would like to make that known, he's only thwarted by such things when he's on the wrong side of them. And he's got a feeling that's how they'd intended it, too. Of course, no one could really count on Cole to be anywhere they expect him to be, either.

The relieved smile on Varric's face is quickly replaced by concern as it really lands on him that if Cole is here, Cole is here. In this place. He reaches out to pat Cole's arm, just to make sure, one way or the other.

"Holy shit, kid, am I both glad and depressed to see you."
lacecase: (124)

only slipped away

[personal profile] lacecase 2020-03-13 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Happening to overhear the comment as she's passing by, Ginger stops and laughs like it's a way funnier comment than it actually is. She puts a hand on his arm briefly as she compliments him on his clearly impressive wit. "That's, like, so funny! Aren't you just a card?"